A marine research vessel (R/V), Dr Fridtjof Nansen, has
docked at the Tema Port after completing an ecosystem survey in Ghanaian
waters.
The survey is part of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries
(EAF)-Nansen Programme that the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Norway, and
other partners are helping Ghana to implement.
The vessel docked in Tema after completing this year's
Transboundary Demersal and Pelagic Resource Survey in Ghanaian waters, marking
the end of a comprehensive 30-day ecosystem survey within the central Gulf of
Guinea.
The vessel, owned by the Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation (NORAD), is manned and operated by the Institute of Marine Research
of the University Bergen, Norway.
It assists developing countries in improving their
fisheries. The docking coincided with this year's celebration of World Oceans
Day, which is commemorated on June 8 each year.
FAO, Ghana’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Development and the Royal Norwegian Embassy held a durbar at the Tema Port last
Friday to mark the occasion,
Present were representatives from the Fisheries Committee
for the West Central Gulf of Guinea and from the public and private sectors who
were taken on a guided tour of the research vessel before it returns to sea.
The vessel first visited Ghana in 1981, and subsequently in
2016 and 2019 to conduct stock assessment. The RV Dr Fridtjof Nansen is at the
centre of the EAF-Nansen Programme, a long-standing partnership between FAO,
Norway, regional organisations and 32 partner countries in Africa and the Bay
of Bengal.
Named after the late Norwegian scientist, an explorer and
humanitarian who was renowned for his ocean research contributions, the vessel
is a platform for fostering cooperation among partner countries, researchers
and partner organisations of the EAF-Nansen Programme.
Address
Speaking at the ceremony, a Deputy Minister of Fisheries and
Aquaculture Development, Abdul-Aziz Ayaba Musah, commended the FAO for
implementing the EAF-Nansen Programme and for extending other technical
assistance initiatives to Ghana.
“Today's activities underscore our collective commitment to
stewardship, collaboration and shared responsibility,” he said. Mr Musah said
Ghana's marine waters were rich with fisheries resources that must be exploited
sustainably to benefit Ghanaians.
He indicated that the sector, however, faced challenges,
including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices, climate
change, marine habitat destruction and pollution from plastics and industrial
waste.
These issues, he said, had led to the over-exploitation of
fisheries resources, depletion of fish species, loss of habitat and
biodiversity, declining profitability for fishers and women fish processors,
and increasing poverty in fishing communities.
He expressed optimism that the survey carried out by the
vessel would provide the country with immense data on the stock levels of both
pelagic and demersal resources, as well as the environmental conditions and
pollution levels in the marine waters of Ghana.
The Deputy Head of Mission representing the Ambassador of
Norway to Ghana, Kyrre Holm, said the presence of the vessel in Ghana marked
not only a milestone in the ongoing collaboration between the two nations but
also a testament to the enduring partnership between Ghana and Norway.
"Its legacy is one of unparalleled dedication to the
preservation of our oceans and the livelihoods that depend on them,” he said.
SDGs
Arslen Bounemra of the FAO, in a statement read on behalf of
the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, said artisanal fishing
communities were among the poorest and most vulnerable in the world.
Feed The Future
He said as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commit
to leaving no one behind, all must collectively ensure that artisanal fishing
communities were not left behind. Over the years, the R/V Dr Fridtjof Nansen
has conducted several scientific expeditions in Ghana, providing vital
information for management of the oceans and marine life.
In the two most recent surveys, 14 national scientists and
technicians were involved, receiving hands-on training in the vessel's
scientific equipment, research methods and analysis.
Having recently completed a study on fisheries resources in
the Western Gulf of Guinea, the vessel will return to sea on June 8 to do a
survey in the waters off Ghana to assess the selectivity of trawl gear, with
the aim of making bottom trawl fisheries more sustainable.
via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-research-vessel-dr-fridtjof-nansen-docks-in-tema.html
No comments:
Post a Comment